


Cold bodies tell no stories

by EtoKai



Series: Hickies are made from broken skin [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s01e06 Taking Flight, Fluff, Gen, Nobody Dies, Pining Lance (Voltron), Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 05:31:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11844936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtoKai/pseuds/EtoKai
Summary: Pining!Lance saves the day.





	Cold bodies tell no stories

**Author's Note:**

> I've officially passed the 50k mark with the last chapter!! I'm so fucking proud mwhahaha
> 
> Also in case you didn't catch on, this series is not in order, the first chapter was sorta meant to be a background thing that splits this into a clear 'before and after' though I'll take liberty with the timeline(like even if this chapter is set in ep 6 i might tinker with the time and insert more events before it or make certain events from the series happen before or after they do in canom)(good luck telling lol)
> 
> As always, i had a bit too much fun editing and ended up with vanilla as always even as i was preparing to go all out with the gross stuff, it just felt.. Gross lol

The air was heavy with tension, bodies moving restlessly around the room. Above them, the screen pulses in a bright red, alerting them of a distress signal not far away from where they were.

"This is not the time for pit stops!" Hunk's voice breaks the uncomfortable silence, ringing firm and final . "Shay needs us, I made a promise."

Faces with tight expression turn towards him, and Hunk crosses his arms defiantly, daring anyone to challenge him. He's a man on a mission, and Lance's certain not even the entirety of the Galra Empire could hold him from his 'not my girlfriend, Lance' .

"We can check it out when we come back," Hunk says with a hint of desperation in his voice, "There's no Galra, right? Then-"

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Hunk." Allura interjects, causing Hunk's expression to falter. Her lips twist into an apologetic smile and she grasps her hands tightly together before lifting her head to meet Hunk's doe eyes, squaring her shoulders as she forces herself to hold in front of Hunk's brandished weapon. "Voltron's duty is to the universe, and we can't simply ignore those in need."

"Fine," Everyone breaths a sigh of relief as Hunk reluctantly agrees, "But we make this quick."

"Of course," Allura smiles as the others nod their heads in agreement.

Hunk gives her one last pitiful stare, but she's already with her back on him, not risking looking at him for a second longer before she changed her mind.

 

Lance squirmed as he watched Hunk begin to pace, his restlessness making him anxious. He itched to go comfort his friend, but knew nothing he'd say would make a difference. They just needed to complete this mission and get to Balmera, then everything would be back to normal.

Lance knew how much Shay meant to Hunk, having stayed beside him countless nights as he talked about her. It gave Lance hope that they could still have some of the things they did back on Earth and took his mind off his little dilemma, namely his.. rather unfortunate crush.

Lance wouldn't have cared back on Earth, since there wasn't boy or girl in the Garrison that didn't have a hero crush on Shiro, but then Lance had to meet him. Maybe he's lucky, but all Lance has to say about the matter is how fucking _unfair_ it is. It's like the universe is taunting him, flaunting what he can't have in front of his face to the point where he can see, smell, and feel Shiro, but can't ever have him. The cherry on top of this shitcake that is the responsibility thrust onto their shoulders is that Shiro isn't even their _teammate_ \- he's their leader, and Lance isn't touching that with a seven feet long pole.

It's easy in theory, keeping his thoughts in his head and doing his bestest to keep his mind preoccupied, but his body isn't on the same page as his brain. Friendly touches and encouraging words send sparks of warmth through his body, painting his cheeks crimson and making him scramble to get away. And Shiro being the great guy(TM) he is, pushes closer while he pulls back, puppy eyes looking to drag out the secrets from the confinements of his heart as he asks what's wrong.

So Lance pretends everything is fine, letting Shiro touch him and soaking in his company as his heart beats happily in its traitorous rhythm and fills with more more _more_ -

But in the end it's just a crush, and Lance pulls himself away from Shiro's side.

 

Coming back to the present, the space castle lands on what Lance assumes is another moon, its system quickly scanning their surroundings and detecting no immediate threats.

"Keep your guards up, but don't draw unless provoked. We don't know them, but neither do they so we have to be careful of how they'll perceive us," Shiro instructed as they gathered at the door, looking at each of the paladins to make sure he was understood. His eyes lingered on Hunk, but he did nothing more than nod before they exited.

The moon had a crimson atmosphere, air thicker than usual but otherwise breathable even without their helmets' filters. The signal came from a square spaceship which seemed to have crashed, its pilot coming forward to greet them.

"I didn't think anybody would respond." The alien is tall and purple, looking carefree as he approaches them. "I'm Rolo, who-"

"We're the defenders of the Galaxy, and we're very much in a hurry," Hunk steps forward, cutting any attempts at small talk as he glares the alien down. "Alright, what's the problem?"

Rolo raises his arms in a placating manner, looking amused of all things as he gestures towards the crashed spaceship with his chin.

"There was a failure with one of our thrusters, and we were forced to perform an emergency landing. Luckily for us, that got rid of our pursuers. Unluckily, it means we're stranded until we can secure some spare parts to fix our ship." The man shrugs powerlessly, eyeing the space castle behind them with a critical eye, "Don't suppose you have any ?"

"We?" Hunk narrows his eyes in suspicion, the same time Shiro asks, "What pursuers?"

Hunk gets his answer as a figure steps forward from behind Rolo and Lance whips out his rifle on instinct- Hunk's paranoia is really getting to him.

"Wow, girl. You just activated my bayard," Lance whistles appreciatively as he holsters his weapon back, hearing Pidge coo as well beside him- except for a robot in her case.

His sharp eyes turn out to be useful for something else rather than shooting, as he can clearly make out the soft texture of the woman's golden locks from meters away and the amethyst of her irises. She's a head shorter than him, her posture relaxed and confident as she regards him. Now _that_ is his type.

Lance closes the distance between them with a few eager steps, coming to a stop in a bow before her. "Name's Lance," He tells her as he takes her hand into his and immediately notes how cold it feels. He brings it to his lips, placing a chaste kiss against her knuckles that makes her giggle.

"Nyma," she answers sweetly, and all Lance can hear in her honeyed tone is _distraction_.

Turning back, Lance sees Shiro and Allura talking to Rolo, the ever perfect picture of leaders, while Hunk is standing a few meters away, gesturing impatiently towards the spaceship. He stares a beat too long, as the others take notice of him.

Shiro shots him a disapproving look that makes Lance's stomach churn, but doesn't say anything as Hunk speaks over him, "Lance! This isn't the time to be messing around!"

Lance shoots an apologetic smile at his friend before turning away, shouting his reply over his shoulder. "We'll be back by the time you guys finish !"

Hunk groanes in reply, but trusts his friend enough to know he'll keep his word.

That rules him out as the only man standing as Pidge was too preoccupied with Rolo's companion machine, while Allura and Shiro were hooked by the man himself. Sighing miserably, Hunk started the repairs on the suspiciously well-maintained thruster.

 

Lance hated the cold with passion. Being raised in Cuba, there was nothing he loved more than the warmth of the sun on his skin and the feeling of water surrounding him. Others would find the ocean constricting, but Lance always felt free as he swam in the pretty blues. He could twist and turn whichever way he wanted, he could float or sink into the pearly sand- he had no restrictions in the water.

The point was he hated the cold and Nyma was very much that, which is why he noticed when she subtly pressed a button on her bracelet, causing its colour to change as it activated. 

The meaning doesn't fly over his head, having to learn early on that all alien technology has a great chance of being evil, but he's not stupid enough to think he can take her in close quarters while draped on her lap. So he smiles and waits. 

They eventually land in a clearing big enough for Blue, and they stare at the bloodied sky together before Nyma holds out a hand for him to take. "I want to show you something."

Lance almost hesitates, but grabs her hand before she can notice. Then something clicks, and Lance feels cold metal on his wrist. Nyma spins him around, and Lance slams his free palm into her hands before she can put the second cuff on.

Caught off balance, she falls to the ground with Lance on her, who makes quick work of immobilizing her hands with the same cuffs she used on him.

"Okay, spill the beans, what were you after?" Lance keeps his hands on her shoulders, one leg curled underneath him and the other hanging so he isn't putting all his weight on her.

When she doesn't answer, Lance puts two and two together and grits his teeth in anger. "So you were just going to leave me here while you took off with Blue?"

"Wasn't that what you were planning to do?" Nyma asks, curling her lips into a sneer that takes him by surprise, laughing bitterly at the silence that follows. "Out of the two of us, you're the crueler one, Lance."

Lance's hands twitch by his side.

 

Shiro stares with a bewildered look as the spaceship takes off in a haste, then glances at Hunk who still has his utensils raised halfway up in the now empty air. "Uhh, what just happened?" Hunk asks, blinking rapidly as if the ship would reappear if he tried hard enough.

Shiro shrugs hopelessly, "Guess we can leave now." He looks around to check everyone's presence when he sees Lance still isn't back, and by extension, neither is Nyma.

As if to answer his unspoken question, the speakers buzz to life, "Uhh, guys! Don't get mad but we have a problem!" Lance yells, his voice coming out between quick breaths. "Rolo's got Blue and HE'S SHOOTING LASERS AT MY FEET!!"

"I knew those guys were shifty!" Hunk declares proudly, already running for his lion as he rants about the logic behind his assumption, now proven to be a fact.

"Hold on, we're coming." Shiro says back, rushing towards his lion with the others.

"Oh Gods, oh Gods!" Lance wheezes, yelping as he stumbles onto something and falls to the ground with a loud thud.

"Are you all right?" Keith asks, his eyebrows furrowed as he pushes his lion into the sky.

"I will be, if you'd get here already!" Lance groans.

"If he's got Blue, why's he still chasing you?" Hunk asks. His lion powers to life with a mighty roar, and then he's bounding up, hot on Keith's trail.

"I've got Nyma!" There's another distinct thud as he puts something heavy on his shoulders and starts running again.

"Let her go, Lance!" Shiro orders, feeling anxiety creep in his chest for his teammate. He can see Lance running now, rocks crumbling at his feet as the lasers shoot at him.

"Are you kidding me?? She's the only thing keeping me alive right now!!" Lance cuts off from saying anything else when his feet tangle under him and he eats dirt. Then he screams as the earth disappears from underneath him, a blue glow enveloping his body as he floats towards Rolo's spaceship. When he said he wanted to be abducted by aliens, he didn't mean it like this!!

Yellow then smashes into the spaceship's side, taking the blue glow off Lance. Thankfully, he's caught by Black's massive paw before he has the chance to splatter on the ground like an egg and spill his yolk all over. Red pounces on the spaceship after, dragging it down where Pidge waits in Green to give Rolo the chewing of a lifetime.

 

They gather back around the space castle, Lance and Nyma hitching a ride with Shiro. It's obvious he wants to say something, but Lance's curled up form keeps him from doing it. He'd hurt his legs- nothing serious enough that it would compromise their trip to Balmera though- and looked in enough misery as it was.

Shiro swings Nyma over his shoulder as they exit, and grabs Lance by his waist for support. Lance can't say he's walking as much as he's being hauled after Shiro, but keeps his mouth shut anyway. If he doesn't speak, maybe the others will let it go.

"We must make haste, paladins! The Galra are coming!" Allura announces, looking sternly at Rolo while Shiro dumps Nyma in his arms. Allura's eyebrows shot up, looking between her and Lance. They have to hurry, but she can't stop her curiosity as she approaches. All eyes are on her as she gasps.

"Lance, did you _choke_ her?"

**Author's Note:**

> comments make my heart swell so pretty please? XD
> 
> also the prompt thing stands for the whole series. For now i have inspiration but idk about the future e.e
> 
> I'm still feeling sorta shitty so i won't be updating my other fic for a while tho i do plan on it later on


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